7 July 2025: PIB Summary For UPSC
1. Dr. Jitendra Singh Inaugurates ‘National Biobank’ and India’s own Longitudinal Population Data study at CSIR‑IGIB
(Source – PIB (Press Information Bureau), July, 7, 2025)
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Topic: GS Paper 3 – Biotechnology; Health Infrastructure; Scientific Research |
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Context |
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Content
Background
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National Biobank launch: Inaugurated at CSIR‑IGIB in Delhi by Union MoS (I/C) for Science & Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh, on 6 July 2025.
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Phenome India Project: A longitudinal cohort study that will collect genomic, lifestyle, and clinical data from 10,000 individuals nationwide, representing geographic, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity.
Key Features & Significance
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Genome-based healthcare: Enables early diagnosis, precision therapeutics for NCDs (diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases) and rare genetic disorders. India-specific central obesity patterns emphasise the need—some lean individuals have high visceral fat.
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CRISPR-enabled advances: CSIR‑IGIB actively works on indigenous CRISPR therapies targeting sickle cell anemia, AMR, liver fibrosis, rare disorders. This Biobank will accelerate such research by providing high-resolution, Indian‑context data.
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AI synergy: Data generated will fuel AI-driven diagnostics, drug discovery, and gene-guided therapy pipelines.
Institutional & Collaborative Aspects
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Cross-sector collaborations: Dr. Singh emphasised partnerships across government (DBT), academia, and industry for AMR, drug development, and clinical translation.
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CSIR leadership: DG Dr. Kalaiselvi hailed the Biobank as a “baby step” toward self-reliance, potentially rivaling global counterparts.
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IGIB’s journey: Since decoding the human genome, IGIB developed 300+ diagnostics, led COVID‑19 sequencing, launched drug genome projects, and expanded into space biology and AI-based pilot assessments.
Analysis for UPSC
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Health Infrastructure: Addresses infrastructure gaps in genome-based care and public health planning.
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Biotechnology Ethical & Policy Dimension: Raises data-privacy, bioethics, and equitable access considerations.
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Science & Technology Focus: Demonstrates India’s focus on cutting-edge CRISPR, AI, quantum tech.
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Person-centric Research: Aligns with National Health Policy’s call for population-specific strategies.
Way Forward
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Scale-up: Expand to >100,000 participants, widen geographic and socio-economic coverage.
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Policy frameworks: Establish robust ethical, consent, data protection, and benefit-sharing policies.
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Commercialisation: Enable startups and pharma to build diagnostics and therapeutics from the data.
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Public health impact: Integrate findings into national health missions and disease-prevention strategies
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Practice Question: “Evaluate the significance of establishing a National Biobank in India. How can it shape the future of precision medicine and public health policy in India? Highlight potential challenges and suggest ways to address them.” |
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